From the Home Place

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  • It’s a puzzle!

    December 13, 2025

    Good morning, friends. At 5 a.m. it was 21 degrees and extremely quiet here in Lusk. There was no wind, nor any trucks on the highway. The only sound was absolute quiet. So, I just sat in the quiet and listened for the Holy Spirits to speak into my life. He did!

    It is now 5:45 a.m., the wind is blowing, trucks are running up and down the highway that goes through our little town and my computer is clicking and clacking. Though each of the sounds that I can hear around me right now are sounds of life, I must admit, I really enjoyed the complete quiet while spending time withnthe Holy Spirit. What an amazing God we serve!

    Well anyway, as I mentioned yesterday, Miss Deb and I are trying to spend some time throughout our day and evenings working on jigsaw puzzles. Not only is it relaxing and gives us time together, working on puzzles is also good for our old brains and our arthritic hands. I highly recommend that you consider turning off your TV, dumping a jigsaw puzzle in the middle of a table and enjoy.

    However, I would like to make one more suggestion: Purchase a new puzzle of 500 pieces. Invite a friend over to help you with the puzzle and maybe some coffee and pie (cherry is my favorite)! By the way, here’s the twist. Have the friend join you, dump the puzzle out on a table and then ask your friend to take one piece of the puzzle out of the pile, place that piece in their pocket and take it home with them. (Now, if your friend is getting on in years, you might want them to tell you where they put that piece for safe keeping at their house, so that you can help them remember where they put it for later use. 🙂

    Then the two of you sit down and start working on the puzzle, visiting about whatever the Spirt leads you to talk about. Remember, no gossip, that’s never of the Lord. Jus visit, enjoy the company and relax with your drink and food of choice. Allow your brain and hands to stay busy while you talk with a friend – perhaps a few words of encouragement would be excellent medicine for that friend.

    After they leave, spend some time each day working on your puzzle. As you work, pray! Pray for your friend and their family, pray for your family, pray for those on your prayer list, for your church, for your community and national leaders, pray for the salvation of others, and especially pray for wisdom and discernment as you speak of spiritual matters with those you will come in contact with later this week. Remember to also spend some time praising God for how He is at work in your life.

    You see, using this method, not only is the puzzle good for your physical life, but it is also good for your spiritual life. Sometimes, life itself is just a puzzle waiting for God to help you find the right piece for the right place. As He puts the pieces of your life puzzle together, you get to watch the picture of your life come together.

    The day before you finish your puzzle, invite that friend to bring back the “missing” piece. They will enjoy seeing what you have completed on the puzzle, and they will also enjoy helping you finish the puzzle with the missing piece. Perhaps it is now time for more coffee and goodies, and then if you are not sure your friend is a Christ-follower, mention how a relationship with Jesus may be the missing piece in their life. For as you know, knowing Jesus puts many of the life-puzzle pieces in place. Be sure to take a couple of minutes and share with your friend how they are a very important piece in the puzzle called your life. Laugh together, cry together if needed, and celebrate your friendship.

    Last step: take the puzzle apart, box it up and give it to your friend. Encourage your friend to repeat this process with someone else who is a blessing within their life. Share how you pray during your “puzzling” times and how God has answered many of those prayers. Encourage your friend to do the same as they work on that same puzzle. Using this method, one simple puzzle can be used to spread fellowship, joy and encouragement around your hometown! (Perhaps have everyone who completes this process sign their name on the inside of the box upon completion of the puzzle?)

    Working on this puzzling thing called life with you, Neal

  • Yeah God!

    December 12, 2025

    Well, I’m finally back home and able to get to my computer. This has been a grand day! Miss Deb, Coffee and I all went to Scotts Bluff today to get groceries and to continue celebrating my beautiful bride’s birthday with a meal at Culvers. I know, nothing fancy, but we both enjoyed a “store bought” meal and some time just for the two of us.

    Then back to Lusk to get to visit with a very special friend, with the extra special blessing of getting to help him accept Jesus Christ as his Savior! Praise be to God our Father for calling him to salvation! Jesus, Your sacrificial blood was applied to another soul this very day.

    After that, we went to a recital where two very special young ladies blessed us with some great music. Oh for sure, there we other youngsters who also did a great job displaying their musical abilities, but our two young ladies are extra special, to us anyway.

    The next item of our day was to return home, turn up the furnace and praise God for giving us so many special blessings on this otherwise cold and dreary day. Forty-three degrees colder today than yesterday, yet this was a beautiful day.

    I hope that your day was as special as ours. May we each continue to be available to be used by our Lord for His glory, and for the good of those around us. After all, we each just pass on the blessings that our Lord has given to us: He has given us life; He has called us to salvation; He has given us gifts; He expects us to use all of that for His glory. What a joy it is to see Him at work within and through our lives! All we have to do is be available for whatever, and however, He wants to use us.

    Now, Miss Deb and I are about to tackle our jigsaw puzzle. Hopefully you have something equally as enjoyable to do as we each unwind from the business of this day. I often comment to Miss Deb just before going to sleep, “I think this day is tired of me, “love ya, good night!”

    So now, I send that same comment your way. If God should allow, we’ll take another run at it tomorrow. Blessings my friends, Neal

  • Just pray!

    December 11, 2025

    At 4:30 a.m. the temperature is 51 degrees, headed for 61. The problem is that the wind gusts are predicted to match the temperature for today. This is a special day around our outfit, it’s Miss Deb’s birthday. For the next four months we are the same age, old.

    I can’t say for you, but my prayer page is completely full right now. Don’t get me wrong, I feel blessed to get to pray for folks, it’s just that today, so many of those requests are really heavy. But then, isn’t that why the Lord told Joshua to be “strong and courageous?” Joshua was headed into a physical battle, while mine is a spiritual battle.

    As a pastor, I can’t do anything to help these dear folks that I’m praying for find an answer to their prayer request, only God Himself can help them. My part is to present those needs before the throne of grace and allow our Heavenly Father to decide the best course of action concerning each person.

    This morning’s prayer requests range from salvation for a loved one, to another coming back to Jesus, to someone dealing with emotional stress, to several needing physical healing, while still others are waiting for the Lord to call them home.

    I must admit, praying for physical healing is the toughest prayer for me. You see, sometimes, God allows suffering to be the avenue to help someone come to salvation, or a to deepen a person’s faith in God. So, I jump in and pray that He bring a quick healing to their pain, but that pain might just be the best thing for them at this moment? Perhaps in this situation I am best to follow the example Jesus gave us in the Garden of Gethsemani, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.”

    And then there are the prayers for our nation! Perhaps Moses prayed it best when he said, “Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.” There is so much strife, deceit, greed and pain in America today, yet the real King is still upon His throne, and I yield my request to His wisdom. I wonder, how often does God uses situations in our nation to draw someone to Himself, while using similar circumstances to discipline others. Perhaps the tears of the heart are the best prayer for this nation?

    For today, I pray as King David prayed, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.” That is one of the lessons my Lord has taught me concerning prayer, I am to pray and then watch to see what He wants to do, and then praise Him for the result. For you see, in some situations, a season of prayer is required. I often think that our Lord is using the situation to teach me to pray expectantly and constantly. I always pray knowing that He will work, in His time and in His way. My part is to “watch,” while I continue to pray for the same person, or situation over and over again. Often the Holy Spirit burdens my heart to pray, not only for others, but also for myself, each prayer time beginning with a prayer of confession.

    Regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the frequency or urgency of the prayer, there are times that all we can do is pray – yet is there possibly anything greater that we could ever do? To be allowed the blessing of praying for others is one of God’s greater gifts to His children. For I suspect, we all need a “healing” in some way or another?

    As the Apostle Paul challenged us, “pray without ceasing.” Our part is to pray; His part is to heal in whatever way He knows to be best.

    Anticipating His healing grace with you, Neal

  • Free Rein!

    December 10, 2025

    Looks like we are jumping into two more days of stiff breeze. I reckon when the wind gusts are over 100 miles an hour, the wind is officially blowing! But with three days of strong wind, we will really appreciate it when the wind comes back down to 12-15 miles per hour. Sometimes our Lord sends us some tough stuff, so we better appreciate when the better shows up.

    Here we are looking straight into the eyes of the end of 2025. I remember when the year 2000 was on the horizon, the media did all they could do to convince us that life was going to pretty much end because of computer failures. Can you believe it, the media hype was wrong, again.

    Oh for sure, the end of life as we know it could come at any moment, but I don’t think the media is going to have much to say about it until after the fact. I wonder how they will account for thousands of Christ-followers leaving the earth all at once???

    Well anyway, for today I would like to visit with you about something that is very dear to my heart. Now let’s get it straight, I’m not trying to make you follow my agenda, I just want to share some feelings with you and then perhaps ask some questions.

    I miss having a horse! All of my life I have had some kind of a horse (remember, a donkey was my first one), up until 2016. In 2011 we moved to a different location to help a freshly wounded church find healing in their life with Jesus. By God’s amazing grace, they found their healing and are impacting their community with the Gospel message even today! While we were at that location, the Holy Spirit lead me into a new ministry, helping men determine what it meant to be “a man of God.”

    To better facilitate this ministry, we moved back to Wyoming in 2016. Because we couldn’t afford enough land to keep my horses, they all went to new homes, and I have not had a horse since. I must admit, there is seldom a day goes by that I don’t think of how awesome it would be to have a horse friend once again. But due to the fact that we now live in town, I reckon that such a yearning is nonsense.

    So let’s shift gears now and take a good gander at the little feller in the photo below with his prancing steed. Looking at this picture, it is easy to “feel” the love between a feller and his horse. As Teddy stated, “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” I miss those relationships I’ve been blessed to have with good horses.

    Not only is it good to have “chores” to do, it is also good to have a friend to visit with who doesn’t talk back. They just listen and love. Perhaps we should have a little more “horse sense” and a few less opinions. I reckon most folks would be blessed if I was to just listen and love.

    And then there is the freedom from life the moment you step a foot into the stirrup, swing your leg across the back of a horse and ride. You don’t even have to have a job to do when riding, just get on and ride away from, so that when you return there is a feeling of refreshment. An abiity to step back into reality with a better attitude.

    Well anyway, now the question: “What is it that helps you improve your attitude?” Asked a different way, “How do you get your attitude adjustment?” Perhaps it’s at the demand of a spouse, perhaps at the suggestion of a child, perhaps when you just feel “a little off? However the suggestion show up, people or circumstances can suggest that we change an attitude, but how we get said attitude adjustment is my question for today? For me, stepping on a horse and spending time in the saddle is the best attitude adjustment method I have ever experienced.

    But now, with no horse, I just have a crummy attitude all of the time – I sure enough hope not! I have found that the Holy Spirit is also really good at giving an attitude adjustment. His conviction, or His encouragement are both great tools to help us realize the need of changing a poor attitude.

    So, if you are blessed to have a horse, go for a good ride and return with a good attitude about your life. But if you don’t have a horse, allow the Holy Spirt to help you in that department. Oh and by the way, the Holy Spirit also listens and loves, but He doesn’t stop there. The Holy Spirit listens and loves and then He empowers us with the ability to make needed adjustments!

    Allowing the Spirit free “rein” with you, Neal

  • They are missed!

    December 9, 2025

    Weather report: The wind gusts are almost twice the high temperature for today! I’ll be wearing a cap and not my Stetson when I go outside.

    Today is the birthday of our youngest child, Happy Birthday Son! Miss Deb and I were just blessed to get to visit with him and his family during a video chat. I won’t say where they live, but at 5:30 a.m. here, it was 7:30 p.m. at his house. We sure do miss getting to see him and his beautiful family, but he continues to serve his country well.

    Every time we get to sneak in a video chat, I feel so very blessed. I think back to all of the families who years ago sent their son off on overseas military tours and all they could ever do was hope for a possible letter. Or think of the parents who would help their daughter and her husband load a covered wagon, knowing that they probably will never see her again! We can jump on the internet or a plane and see our children within a day, or two of travel, my how times have changed.

    Yet as one reads biblical accounts of life during that time, we have to wonder what their lives were really like. One thing I’m sure of, family was still family. A young couple exchanges vows, sets out to make their mark on this world, have children, spend years nurturing and developing those children and then one day send those young adults off to repeat the cycle. Yet one thing is always true, the life our children live is not very similar to the life we lived at their age. Things are always changing.

    Though life is different for different cultures, in different locations, there are still many similarities when it comes to raising a family. The primary similarity that we all hope for is that there will be plenty of love shared within the home and through the family wherever they call home. Our Heavenly Father created us to express His love to one another, especially within the family.

    This time of the year we all look forward to celebrating the holidays with family. We all have family who have passed on from this life, and they are missed. Many of us have family who live so far away that getting together is not possible, and they are missed. Many of us have family members who have other obligations that prevent them from coming home, and they are missed.

    Also, as a Christ-follower you are part of a larger family. When you don’t come home on Sunday, you are missed. I know, sometimes we are too busy to make it to church, and yet for others, attitude keeps us from the church family, but you are still missed.

    Now, let’s take this family thing one step further. As a Christ-follower you are a member of God’s family. When you don’t stop to give Him a call on a regular basis, you are missed. When you don’t ask Him for assistance, you are missed. When you are too busy to sit down and listen to His wisdom, you are missed. And for the person who refuses to become a part of God’s family through Jesus, you are missed.

    Yep, the holidays are a wonderful time for family. But for those of us who are no longer able to get the family together for a meal around the table, the holidays become a time of missing the precious members of our once physically close family. They are missed!

    So, if you can get your family together from the holidays, celebrate God’s kindness to you! But if any member of your family isn’t able to make it home, let them know, they are missed!

    Celebrating family with you, Neal

  • Coming change!

    December 8, 2025

    On our way to church yesterday morning, there was a beautiful sundog in the eastern sky. It was located north of the sun, which is usually read as cold weather on the horizon. If a sundog is south of the sun, warmer weather can be expected. Yet, over my years of walking across this ‘ol ball of dirt, sundogs seem to indicate more of a change in the weather, rather than specific colder or warmer. A sundog seems to be a warning that a change is coming.

    Here in our area, we have a change coming, the wind is going to blow at speeds that would be talked about on the national news if they were to occur in any place other than Wyoming. Here, a 70-mph wind is more of an inconvenience than a national weather alert.

    In Matthew 16:1-4, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and Sadducees that He should give them a “sign from heaven.” Jesus replied by affirming their ability to read a red sky, but that their “evil and adulterous generation” would not be getting any special sign from heaven.

    Jesus had been healing various diseases, casting out demons and had forgiving sins, yet these leaders did not believe that Jesus was truly who He said He was – the Son of God! Today, the Holy Spirit is still doing amazing things in and through His bride, the church. Yet, just like in days of old, the “authorities” refuse to believe that Jesus is alive and well.

    Today, we too, regularly meet people who say that they cannot believe in God without a specific sign. Usually in these conversations they build their argument upon the negatives, not on positives. Such folks say things like, “I can’t believe in a God who would allow a little one to die.” Or they argue, “I can’t believe in something I can’t see.” And then there is the argument of, “If God was real, science would prove it.”

    So here we are today, with the same kind of folks Jesus dealt with in His time, “an evil and adulterous generation.” An “evil” generation is one that is consumed with self. An “adulterous” generation is one that will “sleep with,” that is to join with, anyone who will help them advance their selfish motives.

    In the times of Christ, the Pharisees and Sadducees came with a personal agenda, with a pre-formed opinion about the validity of Jesus. And as the Bible so clearly states, “there is nothing new under the sun.” Judges 21:25 concludes with these words, “In those days there was no king in Isreal; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Perhaps this last statement best describes our present generation. Everyone seems to be an authority about everything, much like the Pharisees saw themselves. It’s funny how people have always been the same, generation after generation.

    So, I conclude today’s writing with a comment based upon the first two words from my favorite verse of Scripture, “But God.” (Eph. 2:4) Regardless of how highly any of us who are alive today value our personal opinions, God will one day soon show Himself to be exactly who the Bible says He is, “Almighty God!”

    Looking forward to the return of Christ with you, Neal

  • All hail the KING!

    December 7, 2025

    With two inches of fresh snow, 28 degrees at 4 a.m. and the hope of 42 for a high, what a great day to enjoy the fellowship of other Christ-followers!

    Yes sir, this is a great Sunday to put on your fancy duds and head to your local church. You may ask “Why get dressed up?” Because God deserves it that’s why. Think about it, we dress up to go to weddings, funerals and special community celebrations, why not get dressed up to go to church to celebrate one person, the Lord Jesus Christ? To me it’s worth putting on my best clothes to attend the celebration of the greatest gift ever given to humanity, salvation in Christ Jesus!

    Why should we get all dressed up to attend church, because God dresses up for us. In Psalm 93:1 we read, “The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength.” Now let’s see you match those fancy clothes! “Majesty” implies the kingly nature of God. The Bible often mentions the “kingdom of God.” For there to be a kingdom, there must first be a king.

    The amazing element of God’s kingship is that unlike human kings who tend to be self-absorbed, our heavenly King is completely other focused. While earthy kings are attempting to amass riches, our heavenly King holds all of the riches of the universe in His mighty hand. While earthy kings attempt to show power and strength, our heavenly King is “all-powerful.” May I suggest that you go to “YouTube” and find Dr. S.M. Lockridge speaking of “That’s My King,” if you want to learn of the kingship of Almighty God!

    After listening to Dr. Lockridge, you will want to put on your good clothes and humbly enter into the presence of the one True King! With all of our different worship styles and all of our different music preferences for “church,” perhaps it’s once again time to put on your “Sunday best” and present ourselves for adoration of the KING! “Oh, come King Jesus! Halleluiah! Come King Jesus. May Your humble servants be allowed a glimpse of Your majesty and splendor even this very day!”

    “Lord Jesus, as we gather in Your presence, may we not only cloth our bodies with fine linens, but may we first and foremost, clothes our spirit with Your righteousness from on high!” Today is a day of worship; a day to worship the Most-High King!

    So get up, dress up and show up, to lift up your spirit to the Holy Spirit of God! This is not a “have to,” but instead, worship is a “get to.”

    Worshiping the KING with you, Neal

  • “Let’s Trade”

    December 6, 2025

    We are at 32 degrees, headed for 43, with wind, snow and maybe rain later. You go WYO!

    Last night and today, Miss Deb and I are at a Trade Fair with a some of her embroidery items. If the name of this event was made up of biblical words, we would attempt to understand the words in an effort to understand how it works. “Trade Fair” – Trade means you and I trade, barter, or exchange items; none of which takes place at the Trade Fair, everything is for sale. Fair would indicate that we trade or exchange things in a “fair” – equally beneficial – method. I can’t say much of that happens either. Yet, I think something close to this is might have taken place last night.

    Miss Deb makes these really cute little bear critters. They are super soft and just the right size for little hands to hold. Well, there is one short-legged feller who has completely captured my ‘ol ticker. He is so cute, and busy. He and I walked around the exhibit building several times looking at all of the pictures of critters. He knew most all of them including “buff-lo, elk, moose, deer, cow, horse, bear, pig, goat and a picture of a cowboy riding a bull was a “buck.” Yep, he is ranch-raised and offered to “shoot” the wildlife as we went by with his pointed index finger. He took a real likin’ to his little bear.

    One other bear was given by Miss Deb to a super cute little girl that we have known since she was a baby. Just a tad over a yearling, her blond curls and beautiful blue eyes captivate everyone she stops to visit with. Needless to say, when she stopped by Miss Deb’s booth, a pink bear jumped into her arms as well! She unzipped her pink coat, revealing a vest, right where she wanted Miss Bear to ride. After giving Miss Deb a big, beautiful smile, she and Grandma continued their shopping adventure.

    So, you see, there are some things that end up being traded at a Trade Fair after all; we both traded a stuffed bear for a smile and a few minutes of jabber from a little one. You might say we traded a small toy for a big joy!

    Isn’t that exactly what our Savior has done for us. We have absolutely nothing to offer Him, other than a smile and a meaningful “I love You,” or a “Thank You!” Otherwise, we absolutely beggarly poor. Look at Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” When we come to Jesus, we are spiritually poorer than the poorest beggar. We are absolutely bankrupt in that we have nothing to offer to Jesus for our salvation. Our riches, our stature in society, our dynamic personality, our kindness, all fall terribly short of being able to trade what we have for the salvation that He has for us.

    Yet, by His amazing grace, He kindly looks at us, smiles and offers a salvation that no other can offer. A salvation that exchanges the hell we deserve for an opportunity to live with Him at His place. All Jesus asks in exchange, is a confession of my guilt and a need of the gift He offers.

    With each little one last night, Miss Deb and I both asked the little one, “Do you want a bear?” Jesus asks, “Do you want salvation?” When we tell Him that we have nothing to trade for such a glorious gift, He then freely gives. He gives us an opportunity to walk with Him for the rest of our days on this ‘ol ball of dirt and then on into eternity. We receive a gift, a true treasure, that brings a big smile to our face. We give self to gain a Savior. WOW! what a trade!

    Enjoying a “fair trade” with you, Neal

  • Garbage gut!

    December 5, 2025

    Good morning all. A beautiful 32 degrees at daylight! When the sun gets up, she will add six more degrees to the ‘ol thermometer for today’s high.

    Yesterday was kind of a rough day around here. Coffee, our Border collie, ate something she shouldn’t have and is going crazy at both ends. Miss Deb has been running in circles getting products ready for a Christmas Bazaar here in Lusk this weekend and now she has a bum leg that is hurting her. So, as Deb took herself to the doctor, I took Coffee to the vet. Both of them are now on drugs and hopefully improving.

    The vet said that Coffee has a case of “garbage gut.” She ate something that she should have left alone, so now she’s on four meds in an effort to get her lined out and back to normal, hopefully soon. Coffee’s tendency to eat things that she shouldn’t reminds me of my tendency to see or say things that I shouldn’t. The reality is, we are all prone to sin.

    Why is it that sin is so easy and obedience is so very difficult? Well, the Apostle Paul would say that my flesh (my sin tendency) is my enemy, while the Holy Spirit is my ally. The issue is that I’m accustomed to satisfying my sinful nature, while I have to work at following the lead of the Holy Spirit. Simply stated, I am spiritually lazy. I would rather do that which comes easy: things like judging, criticizing, and gossiping. Rather than listening to the Holy Spirit and not judging others for the methods I use to judge them will be the method used to judge me. Not criticizing but instead building up others. Not gossiping but instead speaking truthfully in all situations. See, I told you, walking by the Spirit is hard work.

    The truth is, walking by the flesh has always been an automatic part of my life, while I am still learning how to walk by the Spirit. Each of us will always be a spiritual toddler here on earth. At this point I have to go back to the old Indian chief who stated, “Inside of every person is two dogs, a black dog and a white dog; which one is the strongest? The one you feed the most often.” You see the real problem is that I am way too much like my dog Coffee, I too tend to be a “garbage gut,” when it comes to what I feed on.

    On the days that my first food is the word of God, it seems to be easier to walk with Him through the rest of the day. But, on the days that I hit the floor-a-running, my flesh tends to be boss. In Colossians 3:1 we read, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” So, now we have to truthfully answer the question, “What do I spend most of my time “seeking?” The simple truth, that which I seek most is that which I find most. If I spend my day seeking the riches of this world, my flesh is happy, for a season. However, if I spend my day “seeking the things above,” then I am blessed as I walk with the Holy Spirit, finding eternal happiness.

    Summary, I get to decide which dog I feed the most. Will I eat the food that is good for me, or will I too be a “garbage gut” and feel sickly? Oh, by the way, you have the to make the same choice as I do.

    Choosing to stay away from the garbage, Neal

  • “Fear not”

    December 4, 2025

    I don’t know about you, but it sure enough feels like full blown winter to me. Eight degrees at 4:30 this morning, the ‘ol furnace can’t seem to take a breath, he’s constantly running.

    The other day, I and some other fellers sorted and penned a little over a hundred head of bulls. Working with them in the alley, there was only one yearling that thought he should snort at some of the boys. He took a fair run at a group of them, sending each of them for cover. Meanwhile, I was standing up the alley some thirty feet, when he turned and headed my direction at a full run!

    I stepped over by the fence and gave him plenty of room to get buy. The boss of the operation kind of scolded me for not climbing out of the alley when Mr. Bull went charging by. I could tell by looking at the little feller, he was way more afraid than he was mad. Sometimes pen-raised bulls get squirrely when all of a sudden, they are in situation where they find themselves all alone, not that much different than people.

    People can be easily frightened when they find themselves in a stressful situation all by themselves. Alone and afraid is usually not a very good situation to be in. I figure that is why God told Joshua, the now lone leader of Israel, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go.”

    The word “tremble,” used here in the New American Standard Translation, littrely means to be “terrified”. That was the look in that little bulls eyes the other day, he was terrified. I have seen that look in the eyes of humans as well, and just like the young bull, that kind of fear is usually read by others as anger. Which by the way, unless something or someone brings calm into the situation, anger is the very next step in this progression. That is why God told Joshua, “I am with you.”

    In Joshua 1:9 we find a second important word, “dismayed.” This is a stronger word, meaning “terror.” Terror is a fear so deep seated that it takes the heart out of a person and causes extreme anxiety and fear. Terror is usually the understanding that a person is in extreme danger and a realization of eminent death! And once again, God reminds Joshua that all is well because God is with him. That little bull wasn’t taking a run at folks because he was wanting to hurt someone, no, he was afraid that someone was going to hurt him.

    In Matthew 28:20, Jesus reminded His disciples as well of His constant presence with them. Why, because He knew that they were going to find themselves in situations when fear would take a run at them as well. The remedy for those first disciples, and for us today, is to realize that no matter the threat, Jesus is with us.

    So, what has you stirred up today? What are you afraid of? Remember, if you don’t deal with the fear, it will most likely turn into anger, and you too will most likely take a run at someone. So, before you get to that level, stop, breath, fix your eyes upon Jesus, and calm down. He’s right there with you, His words, not mine.

    Just like those first disciples, and just like Joshua, we can also be “strong and courageous” when we know that Jesus is with us! Remember, “trust and obey, for there is no other way.” It is truly amazing how Jesus can calm any storm, after we trust Him. You will recall that Peter trusted Jesus when Peter was sinking in fear, and the next scene of that story is Jesus in the boat with His disciples, bringing calm to the storm. I figure He can still do the same for us today!

    Realizing the presence of God and the peace of God with you, Neal